


Home To Stay

by momotastic



Series: Hiatus Verse [2]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Friendship, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-13
Updated: 2012-03-13
Packaged: 2017-11-01 21:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momotastic/pseuds/momotastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And then, suddenly, Hardison was there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home To Stay

When Hardison had appeared on his doorstep over a week ago, Eliot had been confused and wary. The last time he had seen the guy, Hardison was getting into a plane while Eliot mounted his bike.

Eliot hadn’t gone far. Phoenix was big enough a city to disappear for a while. 

He rented a small apartment (not everyone needed a big and spacey loft like Hardison used to have) and he had even taken up a real job to pay the rent and bills. Eliot worked in a small diner where he tried to educate the guests about _real_ food. 

He should have figured that all he would earn were skeptical looks and various angry shouts from the dining area. No one seemed to like it when he squeezed some lemon juice onto their burgers. Ignorant assholes.

Of course he stayed at the diner even though he had to restrain from actual _cooking_ and limit himself down to making scrambled eggs and bacon or a few variations of burgers. Nothing too fancy.

If Eliot was honest with himself, he had to admit that he was hoping to receive a call soon so he could leave the crappy place behind – just like so many before. And he had already been thinking about leaving even without the call. About going somewhere else just to escape the stupidity and monotony of the place.

And then, suddenly, Hardison was there.

Not that Eliot stopped working at the diner (Hardison had offered to transfer some money into his bank account so Eliot could escape that lame excuse for a kitchen) or that the guests suddenly liked his fine cuisine. No, of course not. But Eliot wasn’t thinking about going away anymore either.

Sometimes he came home (and when had he begun to call the place he stayed at _home_?) and found Hardison asleep on the couch in the living room. Other nights Hardison tried to make dinner for them but usually just created chaos in the kitchen that Eliot would have to clean up later. 

He had tried to figure out why Hardison had come to him after ditching Parker. Or why he had ditched Parker in the first place. 

During the year they had worked together, Eliot had seen how Hardison had snuck around Parker and how Parker had liked the attention as much as she was confused by it.

So why hadn’t he stayed with her?

He told himself that staying with Parker must have been nerve-wrecking and that Hardison probably wanted some _quiet time_.

Or maybe Parker had insulted his geek pride somehow and Hardison was mad at her.

And why exactly did Eliot care so much about Hardison’s motives to come and see him? Or to _stay_ with him?

But what was even more important was why did Eliot _let_ him?

He shook his head and turned the burgers on the grill. He had to find out why Hardison had come to him of all people. As soon as he knew, Eliot would be able to figure out why it affected him like that.

“Aron, there’s a visitor for you. Again.”

Stella (probably not her real name, but then again, who was he to question her about it?) poked her head into the kitchen and smiled at Eliot. She was the diner’s waitress and among the few people who acknowledged his finer creations. Eliot liked her.

He put down the spatula and wiped his hands on the apron before leaving the kitchen to his assistant. 

The second he entered the dining area, Eliot discovered Hardison sitting in a booth near the counter. His usual spot.

Eliot hesitated for a moment. 

Hardison had been around for only nine days and he already had a _usual spot_ in the diner Eliot was working at? 

Except for the conference room in the office (which didn’t count because they all liked hanging out there) Eliot couldn’t think of one single location he could have expected to find Hardison during the whole year of working together and now it had taken him only two or three days to pick one?

In that moment Hardison looked up and smiled that wide and very happy smile that made Eliot grin back even when he was in a bad mood or trying to stay mad at Hardison for some reason he mostly couldn’t remember anymore in that moment.

He walked over to the booth and sat down on the other side of the table.

“You bored again?”

“Nah, just hungry.”

“Why didn’t you order something? Or, y’know, cook.”

“You’re seriously suggesting I should go into your kitchen and cook? Seriously?”

Now that Eliot thought about it he had to admit that it probably wasn’t a good idea to let Hardison anywhere near a kitchen.

“Still, you could’ve ordered pizza or Chinese take-out.”

“True. But your food tastes better and it’s cheaper.”

Hardison had a point.

“Alright. What do you want?” 

Eliot had gotten up again to go back to the kitchen and the burgers. He just hoped that Trevor (a college student incapable of deep frying fries) hadn’t burnt the burgers yet.

“How about that awesome omelet I had last time? The one with mushrooms and cheese? And don’t forget the lemon juice!”

Eliot smiled. Again. And, seriously, what was up with that? 

He really had to do something about this. He’d have to tell Hardison to go and find his own place – or leave the city altogether. Or maybe Eliot should go after all because he wasn’t the kind of guy who smiled when someone liked what he cooked. Eliot Spencer wasn’t the kind of guy who smiled much at all.

“Yeah, sure. Anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, omelet with mushrooms, cheese and the not-so-secret ingredient coming right up.”

Alec grinned, and Eliot had to force himself to not beam at him in return.

He really, _really_ had to do something about this.

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Josh Groban again.


End file.
